Fruit stoning machine



March '31, 1942. R. A. H. P. CHAPELLE FRUIT STONVING MAGHlNE Filed Nov.28, 193e www@ meycb Potent ALre Henri PMA. Ckorol/Le 'w/M-M PatentedMar. 31, 1942 FRUIT STONING MACHINE Robert Alfred Henri Paul Chapelle,Beaucaire,

France Application November 28, 1938, .Serial No. 242,753 In FranceNovember 30, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for stoning fruit, especiallycherries, this machine being particularly characterized by the fact thatall its Working parts have only one simple and continuous rotary motion.

The features and advantages of the machine are set forth in thefollowing description with reference to the attached drawing'in which:

Fig. 1 is a general diagrammatic elevation view of the machine,

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are an elevation, a prole, and a plan views,respectively, of the tool intended to loosen the stones to be removed,

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are similar views to those of Figs. 2 to 4 showing thetool for removingr the stones,

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are similar views to those of Figs. 2 to 4 showing the.part which receives the .stonesfrom the tool rin Figs. to 7,

Figs. l1, l2, and 13 are similar views to those of Figs. 2 to 4 `showingthe part which co-operates with that in Figs. 8 to l0,

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are views similar to 4.those of Figs. 2 to 4,kshowing an attachment for cleaning the part shown in Figs. 11 to 13.

The vmachine shown, whose frame is supposed to be removed, has, ingeneral, a device for receiving the fruit to be stoned, and varioustools acting in succession for the purpose of loosening the stone,removing the stone, and releasingthe .removing tool from the stone.

at thesame speed and convey the fruit to be stoned towards the toolswhich are to carry out the stoning.

These tools are:

(1) A tool (Figs. 2 to 4) for loosening the stones.

(2) lA 'tool (Figs. 5 to 7) for removing 'the stones.

1. The loosening tool comprises a sleeve -1 -bored through and through,according to a largediameter, with a central hole 8, in which can slide.parts l9 'retained by pins I0 which, fastened .tothe sleeve 1 passvthrough parts 9 inslot 2I (Figs. 2 .to 4). -Parts 9 are lpushed outwardby compressionsprings -II bearing upon shaft I2 on which the wholearrangement is mounted. This shaft I2 receives its rotary motion`through pinion I3, chain I4, and pinion |75 keyed on to the drivingshaft of the machine, which is controlled by a ,motor of any kind. Parts9 penetrate into cavi- .ties a of parts I tofsuch an Vextent `that theircut- 'The Aforementioned 'device is formed by a dou-k ble `chain C1 .towhich are fixed parts I having a hole in the lower portion of a cavity aof the shape of the fruit to be stoned. This chain C1 is lfitted on twopinions 2 and 3 which, by their rotation, impart to it a continuousadvancing motion of a regular speed. This motion is produced by therotation of pinion 2 integral with a toothed Wheel 34 which is driven bya chain 33, coming from a pinion 32, keyed to a shaft I2. The fruit tobe stoned, inserted in cavities a of parts I, either by hand or by amechanical device lautomatically filling the said cavities, is covered'and held in them by means of a part 4. This latter part has a smallcavity b whose shape completes that of cavity a. and, covering itselfwith it, limits the volume of fruit to be stoned. Parts 4 are also:fitted on a double chain C2; which is supported by pinions 5 and 6 andwhich, by rotation of pinion 6 driven by toothed wheel 3U, engaging withtoothed pinion 26 keyed to driving shaft I6, receive an advancing motionat a regular-and continuous speed. This vspeed is equal to that of chainC1. All'of parts I to 4 thus move ting portions I 'I come into contactwith the stone of the fruit to be stoned, cutting the pulp according tothe shape of the cutting portions I1 As vparts I and 4 are animated witha regular forward linear motion and parts 9 revolve with such f aregular rotary motion and at such aspeedthat the chord of the arcdescribed by parts 9 vduring their passage through cavities a and b ofparts VI and 4, it vfollows that the stone enclosed vby the V of thecutting portions -I'I of part 9 is alternately actuated with arestrained motion and `.an accelerated motion in relation to the fruitheld in cavities a and b during the time of .penetration of parts 9which, Vin relation to parts I and 4, move with an irregular motion:slower than vthefspeecl of parts I and 4, at the momentwhen theynentercavity a, faster at the moment they are perpendicular to chains -C1 andC2 in contact, oncemoreslower at the moment when parts 9 leave parts Iand 4. The result is that the :stone thus moved becomes-detached fromthe fruit pulp and yis thus prepared for extraction from the *.fl'llit.

from breaking the stones by` striking them too .Springs lII are intendedto prevent yparts 9 violently, as in -such case springs II give Wayalittle and parts 9 withdraw to theextent required.

After having been submitted to the action/of the loosening tool, Athefruit yreaches the .stoneremovingtool. This tool (Figs. 5 lto 7) isformed by a shaft I6 split at its end and provided withfa part I8 set inslot I9 and retained by a -b01t'20. Part I8 has at either end a tooth 2|with aacutting edge and curved at with a rounded v:cor-

cutting edges I1 of part S.

ner, its shape being adapted to that of the stone to be extracted. Teeth2| are cut to the shape of a knife blade toward the front. This part I8directed in a rotating motion by shaft I6 enters cavities a and b inparts to 4 and emerges from 5 them carrying with it the stone.

The peripherical speed of I8 is such that, as stated in connection withparts 9, the time taken to cover the arc described by I8, between themoment when that part I8 enters a and the mo- 10 ment when it leaves a,may be approximately equal to the time taken by chains Cl and C2 totravel over the same chord.

Part I8, carrying with it the stone, continuesA its rotation and havingcovered a certain angle l' (the measurement of which is of noimportance), comes into contact with fixed part 22 (Figs. 8 Yto cut insuch manner that teeth 2| of part I8 may pass freely. At the same momentpart |8-is met by part 23 (Figs. 1l to 13) fixed to shaft 24 20 by aslot and a bolt 25. This part 23Vreceives its rotary motion from shaftI6 through the medium of toothed pinions 26 and 21 and in such a mannerthat the speed of shaft 24 may be double than that of shaft I6, in orderthat part 25 23 maymeet and go beyond the two toothed ends I8 in acomplete revolution of I6. This part 23 is cut after the fashion ofiixed part 22 and consequently passes between teeth 2| and part I8,carrying the stone with it when the latter has remained between theteeth of part I8. Owing to part 22 the stone can only be ejecteddownward along the curve of part 22, this in order to either prevent thestone from being thrown upward and taken up by teeth 2| of part I8, orto35 prevent the stone retained between teeth 2| of part I8 by .a iilamentfrom being only raised Without being extracted and ejected.

In order to prevent the stone from remaining l between the slots of part23, another part 28, permanently fixed by a screw 29, is placedtangentially to the motion of rotation `of part 23 in such manner thatthe teeth of part 23 will pass between the teeth of part 28, thusremoving all A that may have remained between the teeth of part 23.

'Ihe progress of chains C1 and C2, as mentioned, carries with its partsand 4 until the moment when chain C2 is wound round pinion 6 and sepan Hrates parts 4 from parts I, which continue their '50 movement towardspinion 3. Naturally, considering the size of cavity a, the fruit remainsin that cavity when the stone has been removed. In order to detach thefruit from cavity a, some M parts 3| are placed according to radius, andthese 55 penetrate into the cavities a, ejecting the fruit while closingthose parts of the fruit that have `opened to allow the stone to pass.As will be seen, these parts 3| are integral with pinion 3 in order tosimplify the construction; but they 60 couldl just as well be placedupon another-shaft having a motion similar to that of shafts I2 and IB,but whose working part would then be part 3 I .l

It is to be observed that the distance between n the axes of cuttingportions of parts 9 is the 65 lsame as that between the axes of teeth 2|of parts I8. Likewise the distance between the aXes 'of Vthe teeth ofpart 22 and of part 23, as also the vthis machine requires:

(a) Insertion of teeth 2| in the part cut by 7 (b) The passage of teeth2I through part 22.

(c) The passage of the teeth of piece 23 between the teeth 4of part I8.

(d) The passage of the teeth cf part 23 between the teeth of part 28.

Although the machine described has only one cavity for parts I and 4,the number of these cavities a and b can be just as well multiplied, ifit be desired to increase the output of the machine. In such case itwill suffice to proportion the number and shape of parts 9, I8, 22, 23and 28 to the number of cavities. Thus a machine having ten cavities a.will have twenty parts 9, ten

parts IB. VParts 22, 23 and 28 will have ten sets vof the same teeth asthose described.

Likewise the distance between axes of two parts and two parts 4 may besmaller and, for example, one-half of that considered in thespecication.V This would necessitate the use not of two symmetricalparts per revolution of shafts lI2an'd I6, but of four parts 9, twoparts I8 and either two parts 2 3 ,or increase the speed of shaft 24 inthe ratio of 1 to 2. 'J

Likewise the machine describedfmayalso. be designed and produced in adifferent plane,:and it might, for example, be constructed in such amanner that instead of working and'effecting the stoning according'tothehorizontal plane, the stoning might be carried out according to avertical plane or any other, according to the convenience of the work. s

The machine may be constructed' so that the fruit holding portion may,for example, be an endless belt, one or more ycircular plates, one ormore cylinders. j

I claim: s 1. In a fruit pitting machine a device for receiving andcarrying lthe fruits to be, pittedina predetermined path, at least twopittingknives, each of said knives serving for detaching 1a pit from itsfruit pulp, a rotatable shaft, said pitting knives being mounted torevolve about said shaft, another rotatable shaft, a rotary .pittingfork mounted to revolve about said last mentioned shaft and adapted toremove saidpit, said two shafts'being arranged in spaced relationunderneath and transversely of said fruit carrying device and being sopositioned with respect.' to said fruit carrying device that the path ofthe ends of the knives as well as of thefork inter.- sects the path ofsaid fruit rcarrying device, and common driving means Vadapted to movesaid fruit carrying device and to rotate said shafts;

2. In a fruit pittingmachine, a conveyerY .for receiving and carryingthelfruits to be` pitted, driving means for moving said` conveyer with acontinuous predetermined speed over a predetermined path, at least two`pittingiknives, each serving for detaching a pit from itslfruit pulp,

.a rotatable shaft, a sleevemounted .on said shaft,

said pitting knives radiatingv from saidiisleeve, another. rotatableshaft/a, rotary 'pitting' fork mounted to revolvev around saidlastfmentioned shaft and adapted to remove said pit, 'said shafts beingarranged'in 'spacedv relation beneath'and transversely of said conveyerand being so positioned with respect' to said conveyer that the path ofthe ends of the knives as well asfof'the fork intersects the path ofsaid conveyergsaid driving means being further adapted toV rotate saidtwo shafts.

3. In a fruit pitting'machine a conveyerffor receiving and carryingthefruits toAbe pitted ina predetermined path, said conveyer comprising 5'two'whee'ls carrying achain, said chainbeing tate at least one of saidwheels, and to rotate provided with receptacles comprising a hole in itslower face, at least two pitting knives, each serving for detaching apit from its fruit pulp, a rotatable shaft, a sleeve mounted on saidshaft, said pitting knives radiating from said sleeve, another rotatableshaft, a rotary pitting fork mounted to revolve around said latter shaftand adapted to remove said pit. said shafts being arranged in spacedrelation below the path of movement of said conveyer and between saidtwo wheels, and being so positioned with respect to said conveyer thatthe path of the ends of the knives as Well as of the fork intersects thepath of said conveyer, one of said two wheels over which said pitlessfruits are moved being provided with pins in spaced relation, said pinsbeing adapted to engage said hole in the lower face of the receptaclesfor ejecting the fruits, and common driving means adapted tocontinuously rosaid two shafts.

4. In a fruit pitting machine a pitting tool for detaching the pit fromthe fruit pulp, said tool comprising a sleeve mounted on a rotatableshaft,'said sleeve being provided with a hole transversal to said shaft,at least two cutting members, each of said cutting members beingprovided at one end with a cutting knife adapted to engage a stone ofthe fruit to be pitted, each of said two cutting members being providedwith a longitudinal slot and being slidably mounted in the transversalholes in said sleeve, pins in said sleeve passing through the slots insaid cutting members to retain said cutting members, and resilient meansbearing against said shaft and against each of said cutting members.

ROBERT ALFRED HENRI PAUL CHAPELLE.

